What is the Peak Technique? - - Chief Instructor's Blog September 2015

While going through basics, what do you consider the most important or peak technique? 

Let’s take attack punch as an example.  Is the most important technique the first punch when we kiyup?  The second punch, the punch after we turn (if so, which turn?), the last punch before finish or transition to a different technique?

What about hyung?  Which technique should you concentrate the most on?  Which one should be the most powerful?  Ready?  The technique with the kiyup?  The techniques after a transition?  The last technique?  Finish? 

In class a lot of times we start going through the motion and we “save” ourselves for a technique or rush to get to the technique where we kiyup on or some technique we particularly like.  In doing so, we are not focused, those move/transition, “in- between” techniques are not effective leaving us very vulnerable and unsafe.

A couple examples that come to mind that really reinforce this concept for me are:

(1)   In Pyung Ahn 3, I notice a lot that we rush from the extended spear hand through the turn to get to the outward hammer fist.  In doing so we are probably not grounded and missed out on being able to use at least three techniques (hip move to displace an opponent, elbow strike, and forearm strike) before even performing the hammer fist.

(2)   In No Pe Hyung, sometimes people focus and build up to the board break and then lose all focus for the rest of the form.  I think the person who created No Pe Hyung was brilliant that the board break was not the last move; therefore reinforcing every move is important and teaching us if we build up for just one move, we are vulnerable afterwards.

The reality is that every technique, transition, turn is the most important technique at that moment.  The next technique is inconsequential if you are not focused and perform the technique at hand as if it was the most important.  If you are getting ahead of yourself and thinking ahead, I can guarantee your techniques will not be effective.  Winding up for the “kill” technique or saving energy for that kill technique will most likely get you injured or killed.  It is so critical to stay in the moment and focus on the task at hand.  

It is so important we stay in the moment and not rush to flow from technique to technique but focus on each step as we move however inconsequential it may appear to be at first.  We need to treat each technique, transition, turn like it is the most important and that is the move that will save your life. 

Regards,

Kelly

 

A good martial artist puts his mind on one thing at a time.  The secret of kime [tightening the mind], is to exclude all extraneous thoughts that are not concerned with achieving your immediate goal.” ~ Bruce Lee, (1940 –1973) American-born Chinese Hong Kong martial artist, actor, and founder of Jeet Kune Do, as quoted by Joe Hyams in his book “Zen In the Martial Arts”

Samurai Training versus Today’s Martial Arts - - Chief Instructor's Blog August 2015

I have mentioned in class on many of occasions and in a couple of blogs, that the discipline, control, etiquette and conduct in martial arts training is what in part sets martial arts apart from just plain street fighting.

Much of martial arts etiquette and code of conduct comes from the ancient warriors (e.g., Samurai in Japan and Hwang Ra in Korea, etc.).   The Samurai is probably the most well-known so I will focus on the elite Samurai for the sake of this blog although you can find some similarities in the other ancient warrior groups.

I have already discussed how the Samurai’s code of conduct, Bushido, is still embedded in martial arts today and how it aligns with the tenets we instil in our club through our teachings policies, and agreement of participation in the August 2013 blog entitled “Martial Arts Code of Conduct”. 

In addition to the code of conduct and the physical training of the Samurai, what set them apart was Samurai were also expected to study culture and practice an art: tea ceremony ritual, flower arranging, music, painting, poetry, etc.

You may ask yourself why warriors who are trained to protect and fight for his master would need to study something like tea ceremony or flower arranging?

One reason is the Samurai were considered an elite class and in doing so they were expected to be educated and well-rounded.  Many martial arts clubs and schools (although not all), including the Marines Martial Arts Program require other training besides the physical training – mostly focused on the philosophical side.  One of the reasons I created the two Chief Instructor Directives that define additional requirements for instructors and to reach Black Belt was to reinforce the concept that knowledge and an understanding of the philosophy of martial arts is also a critical part of the training, and it is not just about the physical aspects.

Second, these activities require focus, concentration, attention to detail reinforcing the concepts in other activities that were critical in their physical training and battle.  I have mentioned in class and mentioned in other blogs (most recently in my June 2014 blog,   “Martial Arts Goes Beyond The Dojang”), that studying martial arts and the principle and concepts are not just the time spent in the dojang, but are for everyday life.  The more you embed what you learn in the dojang into your everyday activities, the more depth you will find in your techniques.  You might also discover more clarity in your life.  So, for the Samurai, these activities outside their physical training helped reinforce and allow them another avenue to practice discipline and focus.

These other activities also provided a place and time for Samurai to not have to focus on death or battle, but have time for peace and inner contemplation.  Along with formal meditation, which was a large part of the Samurai’s practice, the activities themselves were another type of meditation. 

Why would this be important?  If the Samurai’s job was to defend its mater and protect his family and land, why would mediation, peace, and inner contemplation be important? 

This aspect of Samurai training no longer seems to be part of modern martial art’s training.  I am not sure why this part of the training is not reinforced, but for me, time for inner contemplation and peace is critical to be balanced in your life and to experience energy that is not always harsh and destructive, but healing and soft or warm.  This part of the training can also bring calmness to your mind and spirit that is critical in battle because it will help you remain focused and in control making your techniques more effective and efficient. 

The physical skills we practice in the dojang or if and only if we have to use them to protect ourselves.  And if we stay aware and in some ways lucky, we will never have to use these skills.  So, if that is the case, what does the rest of our days look like? For me, the inner contemplation and meditative training reminds me of who we are at our core and how we fit into the universe working and living among people every day.  This is one reason I practice and study yoga and healing arts. For me, my engineering is also a discipline and requires focus to ensure specifications are complete (and do not include just desires but true requirements) and well documented, design meets specification, products get built right the first time, the design is producible and supportable, etc..

So, what activities do you also do outside martial arts that allows for you to embed and reinforce focus, discipline, and attention to detail?  What activities do you participate in that allow you to mediate, contemplate and find inner peace to balance your life?

Regards,

Kelly

“The Way of a Warrior is based on humanity, love, and sincerity; the heart of martial valor is true bravery, wisdom, love, and friendship. Emphasis on the physical aspects of warriorship is futile, for the power of the body is always limited.” ~ Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), founder of Aikido

References

1.      The Way of the Martial Artist: Achieving Success in Martial Arts and in Life! By Kevin L. Brett

2.      Holy Mountain Training Company [Online] webpage “Samurai Cultured Warriors of Japan” http://www.holymtn.com/Japan/Samurai.htm. [July 2015].

Responsibilities of a Black Belt - Chief Instructor's Blog July 2015

To reach the level of Black Belt takes accumulation of many years of training through  commitment to the art form itself and perseverance.  It demonstrates you have the background, physical skill, and understand the basic philosophy of the art form.

Reaching this level comes with responsibility both subtle and profound.  You have become an ambassador for the art form and the Club.  In becoming an ambassador whether you asked for it or not, you are now a role model for all lower rank students.  They will look at your attitude, training habits, how you interact with instructors and students, your technique and try to emulate you.  They will learn from you whether you are a certified instructor or not by interacting with you in class, by hearing your stories of your training and how you have overcome obstacles (e.g., injuries) in your journey.  

In reaching this level, you have demonstrated the skill to defend yourself with proficiency in Han Moo Kwan techniques and forms.  You have proven you have the capability to do immense damage.  And because of this, you have a responsibility to do everything you can to avoid the use of the physical aspect art form and only use it as a last resort.  You have a responsibility to share with everyone you come in contact with (inside or outside the Club) to share the true essence of martials arts- it is about connecting mind-body-and spirit and it is for use of self-defense only, and only if you absolutely have to.

Therefore you have an immense responsibility to understand yourself, your hot buttons, and understand in what scenario and under what conditions you feel requires the use of your physical skill.  And over the years, these scenarios may change, as you grow and learn and your situation changes (e.g., get married, have children, etc.).  And therefore, you have a responsibility to constantly self-reflect and look inward, learning more and more about who you are. 

Many people may think reaching first level Black Belt is the ultimate and while it is a great accomplishment, it is only the beginning of not just learning the art form but learning about yourself and the responsibilities of the belt you wear.  To sum it up simply, when asked about our goals in martial arts, or simply why we should practice, Mr. Kim simply said “To better ourselves.”

Regards,

Kelly

“He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.”~ Lao-Tzu (6th century BC), philosopher of ancient China, and best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching

Improving Your Technique Through Targeted Muscle Training - - Chief Instructor's Blog - - June 2015

Have you been working on increasing the height of your kicks and not making much progress?

Have you been trying to get more force or speed out of your upper body techniques and not making much progress?

One way to get more from your techniques is to break down the issue and target improving specific muscles.  For example, if you want your kicks to be higher, you will need to work on your balance and/or flexibility.  If you want to improve balance, you may need to build strength and/or muscular endurance.  If you want more power, you will need to build strength, muscular endurance, and/or improve your physical alignment.  If you want sustain speed, you may need to improve muscular endurance and physical alignment.

Let me provide a few very specific examples.

Higher Front Kicks

Let’s say you want to work on higher front kicks.  To get higher kicks, this could be a balance issue or a flexibility issue.  Let’s look at flexibility first.   The major muscles used to perform the dynamic aspect of the kick are the hip flexors to lift the knee and the quadriceps to execute the kick.  Improving your flexibility in either of those two muscle groups (plus the hamstrings that get elongated with the kick) can help improve the height of your kicks.  A couple good stretches to do then would be forward bend and kneeling lunges with and without an added quadriceps stretch.

Maybe you have good flexibility but still cannot get your kicks higher.  In that case, it may be a balance issue.  Some key muscles used for balance are the calves, quadriceps and the abdominals.  You may need to build muscular strength and/or endurance for those muscles to improve balance.  Some suggestions to strengthen the calves (which is not an exhaustive list), are calf raises or walking on the balls of your feet.  If you want to work on strengthening your quadriceps and calves at the same time, you can go into a deep horse stance and rise onto both balls of the feet at the same time and hold for 5-10 second and do 10-20 repetitions at a time.  Some suggestions to strengthen the quadriceps (but not an exhaustive list), are leg presses (if enjoy lifting weights), using resistance bands and performing knee extension while sitting, performing one or two legged squats (one legged squats will help strengthen the claves as well).

More Powerful Knife Hand

More powerful knife hands will come from a combination of improving your stances as well as muscular strength in your upper body and specifically for knife hand will be triceps and deltoids (shoulder). Some exercises to strengthen your triceps (no weights needed), are dips and pushups.  These same exercises will also strengthen your deltoids.  Other good deltoid strengthening exercises that also strengthen your abdominals as an added bonus are forearm planks and single arm plank. A great exercise that strengthens the shoulders, triceps, and abdominals is pike press.

In class, given the limited time we have, we do not spend time stretching or working on balance other than drills directly related to the techniques we are working.  Therefore, it is up to each student to put in the extra time to stretch, work on muscular strength, and/or endurance outside of class.  For each technique, I would recommend determining one aspect of each one you think you could improve the most on (flexibility, balance, muscular strength, or muscular endurance).  Based on that, you can then add specific exercise to improve in that area.   I think you will be surprised how some targeting focus can help significantly improve your martial arts techniques.

If you need some pointers in any of these areas, please do not hesitate to ask.  There are also some good references out there such as “The Anatomy of Martial Arts” by Dr, Norman Link and Lily Chou [Ref. 1] that provide some good insights into muscles used and exercises to strengthen or improve flexibility for those muscles.  Loren Christensen’s “Fighter’s’ Fact Book” [Ref .2] also has some good exercises, and drills to improve various aspects of your techniques.

Regards,

Kelly

“The more you sweat in training, the less you will bleed in battle.”~ Unknown

References

1.      The Anatomy of Martial Arts by Dr, Norman Link and Lily Chou

2.      Fighter’s Fact Book by Loren W. Christensen

 

Learning Club…Teaching Club- - Chief Instructor's Blog May 2015

I like to think of our club not just as a learning club, but as a teaching club as well… similar to the concept of a teaching hospital.

As instructors, our job is to pass along knowledge to students and teach the history, philosophy, mechanics, applications, and energy behind Han Moo Kwan.  In many schools/clubs of old instructors, they held back “the secrets” of the art form for students to figure out for themselves.  We share everything (over time), as students are ready for the information.  We give students a look ahead of what they will expect as they learn and grow as a martial artist. 

As an instructor, when I teach students, I learn from them as well.  If a student is struggling with a technique, I learn new ways to teach or new drills to help a student improve.  As I observe students before drills or forms, I may have an “ah-ha” moment about the art form (e.g., another application of a technique, etc.).  Recently, I was watching two students as they played “sticky hands”.   I was trying to explain to one student that it was time to start adjusting their techniques so that it is no longer block- strike, but the strike and block are one and your motion is always direct into the opponent.  As we talked about it and the student explored, it dawned on me this is one of the big concepts of Shipsu – regardless of the physical angle you are moving, every technique energetically is linear into the target.

Each student has a responsibility in our Club to not only learn but to help others learn; the extent of this is dependent on the rank of the student.

What do I mean by this?

Let’s start with Black Belts.  Black Belts have a responsibility when participating in Intermediate class to perform techniques to the standard, being open to learning new techniques and receiving feedback, and mechanically how we expect Intermediates to perform them.  As I have mentioned in class many times, some techniques do evolve over time as does the expectation of how to perform them (e.g., for Black Belts, we expect punches to be shorter with elbow just past the body line).  In addition, Black Belts, during drills and activities such a sparring should work with students and not just spend an entire drill overpowering a lower ranked student (like a Green or Blue Belt).  I am not saying there is not a time or place to demonstrate while working with lower rank students the power and devastating energy that is expecting of Han Moo Kwan.  This is different than just easily and knowingly overpowering because you can, repeatedly, when a student has no chance of defending.  In this case, the lower rank student does not learn and just gets frustrated.  And all the Black Belt is doing is exercising their ego which has no place in the dojang.

Similarly,  upper ranked Intermediates (Brown Belts) have a responsibility to help lower ranked students (Green and Blue belts) to learn by demonstrating good technique, being open to learning new techniques and receiving feedback, as well as not just overpowering a lower rank student during drills and activities such as sparring.

In addition, Black Belts and upper ranked Intermediates can learn from lower ranked students if they remain open to learn from anyone.  Each student we work with has different strengths, so we can learn how to defend against those strengths.  In addition, not every student will respond the same way to an attack, and studying every student and the different ways a person may respond to an attack is critical in learning to defend yourself in all situations.  In addition, lower rank students tend to get more amped up in intense drills and activities like sparring.  Many students have a tendency to match the speed and energy of the student they are working with.  When the lower rank students get amped up, this is a great opportunity for upper rank students to learn to remain calm and perform with appropriate speed and control and not just add “amped” up energy to the situation.  This skill could potentially save your life in a street altercation.

Regards,

Kelly

"If every man would help his neighbor, no man would be without help." ~ Bruce Lee, (1940 –1973) American-born Chinese Hong Kong martial artist, actor, and founder of Jeet Kune Do

 

 

Importance of Etiquette in Martial Arts - - Chief Instructor's Blog April 2015

Martial arts were founded on a code (“budo”) and etiquette.  Today’s martial arts, especially if they are traditional martial arts, still have certain protocols and etiquette they follow (e.g., bowing).  For the specific etiquettes followed in our Club, see the best practice HMKTKD-BP1, Class Protocols and Class Etiquette at http://www.hanmookwan-svl.org/best_practices.htm.

But why is it important to still have etiquette?  Some of my thoughts on why etiquette is still important are below.

1. Safety.  The protocols and etiquette are critical in creating a safe environment to train in.  By bowing before starting a drill or sparring you are indicating to your partner you are prepared and are ready to start.  We bow when we are finished with certain drills or after a sparring match to indicate it is over so both partners attacks cease.  Without knowing when a drill or sparring match starts or ends, a person can be unprepared, which can easily lead to injuries. 

2. Creating a Learning Environment.  The protocols and etiquette create a learning environment.  By raising hands to ask questions, allowing only one person to talk at a time, listening when the head instructor is talking, deferring questions until after class if appropriate or would take up too much time in class, we are creating a learning environment for everyone.  By bowing to your partner before a drill or sparring, you are, in part, demonstrating a willingness to learn from each other. 

3. Creating a Better Training Environment.  The etiquette of bowing when entering the dojang and bowing to your partner before drills is a means to prepare for practice.  If you are focused and prepared to practice you will create a better training environment not just for yourself but for the instructors and the other students as well.   

4. Instilling an Art. While martial arts teach students to fight to defend themselves, it is an art requiring respect and control.  The skill is used for a specific purpose which can be brutal and very violent. The protocols and etiquette help instill that as an art, it is to be honored, practiced/taught for its specific use and always used in a controlled manner.  Without the etiquette and protocols, it could just very well look like and turn into street fighting.

5. Retaining tradition.  Tradition is important, even if you do not understand its importance at first.  Through the traditions, you are tying yourself to the founders, and instructors of the past.  Usually, things that are rooted in tradition live longer than those that are not.  If that is the case, then tradition is important to the survival of the art form itself.

Regards,

Kelly

"Karate is Budo and if Budo is removed from Karate it is nothing more than sport karate, show karate, or even fashion karate-the idea of training merely to be fashionable."  ~ Masutatsu Oyama  (1923-1994), karate master who founded Kyokushinkai Karate

How To Get Through The Plateaus - - Chief Instructor's Blog March 2015

In the December 2014 blog, I discussed five key items required to master a martial art based on “Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard, a master in Aikido. 

As discussed by George Leonard (and something I believe in as well), for many people, especially Westerners, what gets in the way of truly mastering a skill is the plateaus that come with mastering a skill. 

I know in my learning and studying Han Moo Kwan I have come across many plateaus.  I have been frustrated and felt I was never going to get better at a technique, or would not really competently learn a new form, or I would never reach the next rank.

I have observed at least a hundred students in my over twenty years at the Club, and have observed their plateaus as well. 

For me, and based on my observations, plateaus can come about because your practice is inconsistent, you set a goal and become frustrated in the fact you do not think you are achieving it in a timeframe you have arbitrarily set for yourself, you compare yourself to others and feel you are not progressing like others, you injure yourself, you become complacent and lazy (one can argue whether the plateaus causes this or you enter a plateau because of this), a lack of a goal and intent can cause a plateau, or a plateaus may occur because it is just that time to embrace and spend more time on a skill.

Plateaus (at least as perceived in your mind) will happen – it is part of the path.  The path to a black belt is not a straight line, it has ups, straight lines, and sometimes, even a slight downward turn as you relearn and incorporate new concepts into your techniques.

So how do you get through a plateau?

First, if there is a technique that is frustrating you or a concept that is hard to grasp, let it lie for now.  Focus on other aspects of your skill.  Pick one thing you think you do well and want to do even better and focus on that.  It could be a form, a technique, or a foundational skill/concept like balance, alignment, focus, grounding, etc.

Second, create a smaller goal for yourself – do not make some grandiose goal of achieving a black belt in two to three years.  Stick to something like in six months your front kick will be at waist height consistently or adding more force to all your basic techniques.  Go back to baby steps – none of us learned to walk or run at birth – we had to learn to roll over, then lift our heads, then crawl, then pull ourselves up – go back to baby steps.  Do you remember learning sidekicks?  We typically teach it as seven moves slowly in a fundamental progression.  Sometimes we need to go back to baby steps in order to get to the next level.

Third, and most importantly, to get through a plateau keep coming to class, do not stop, and do not compare yourself and your path to anyone else’s.  Everyone’s path is different.  There are at least 10 paths up to the summit of Mt. Everest.  If your goal is to get to the top, which path is best?  Many factors come into play in making that decision, as does the path to mastering a martial art.  Do not have a preconceived notion of what that path looks like, just enjoy the journey, especially the plateaus.

Regards,

Kelly

“Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is the most important. This willpower you cannot buy with money or be given by others...it rises from your heart.” ~ Junko Tabei (1939- present), Japanese mountain-climber who, on May 16, 1975, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

References

1. Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard